Gardening in North Otago 24th.2.2016

This real summer weather continues and the warm days are a joy to garden in, all that is needed is one good shower to keep the moisture levels up. Keeping the water up here in this garden is top priority, dragging hose's from one garden to another with a small determined dog still pulling the hose end the opposite way!! Yes, I know he thinks it is our special game and my verbal responses like Scruuuufffff...... seem to be the attention he craves from this one sided game. 

As well as hose dragging I have been cleaning paved areas and structures with a water blaster, what a difference once moss, liken and dirt have been removed, it sure beats sanding for ages on wooden seats and structures before painting.
Keep tidying up the fluffy new growth on hedges, the sharp neatness really stands out among the full summer growth. 

I thought it might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia and coleonema (breath of heaven) but only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height or width. This should always be done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off well before temperatures plummet. In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas you can leave the old growth on through the winter to protect the new shoots then prune in Spring when they begin to shoot.Also this is the time to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's as they must have new growth hardened before winter, if you do intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter. 

I am also working my way round mature camellias and thinning them out, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring. And as time allows the removal of seed heads from rhododendrons is recommended, especially on newly planted rhododendrons to encourage new plant growth. There is a place on the stem where if bent will snap the seed head clean off without damaging the new buds, it dose not take long to discover where this point is.

Seed collecting starts now for me, lupins, mignonette, poppies, dianthus, any plant that is needed again for next spring/summer. 
I left a clump of pansies to make seed after flowering, it has now surrounded itself in a multitude of seedlings for me to pot up and grow on. The original clump is now cut back and putting on new fresh growth. 

Ornamental grasses have finished making seed and can be cut back now before too many of the seed heads float about the garden and germinate, cut them well back and they will soon fluff up again to waft about in a breeze.

Lawns.

With all this heat lawns are suffering and begging for the next shower, I notice even the lawn weeds are struggling which means lawn weed spray would work a treat while weeds are thirsty, spot spraying on a dull day is kinder to worms and bee's than full lawn coverage on a sunny day.

Vegetables.

Keeping water up to veg Gardens is on going, my raised beds dry out in no time so good soakings are require rather than the sprinkler now and then. I find myself wanting cooler nights for the sake of vegetables which is a bit on the sad side considering it is for once a fantastic summer.

If you are prepared to keep the water up keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.

Cheers, Linda.